Finite element simulation of the effect of trailing heat sink on welding induced distortion of Al 3105

Despite its extensive applications in industries, welding has several problems. An issue in metal welding is the induced distortion and residual stresses, and aluminum is no exception. There are various ways that are used to reduce distortion, one of them is a novel method that came to be known as trailing heat sink‎ . This study addresses the effect of trailing heat sink on the reduction of welding-induced distortion during welding of Aluminum. To this end, wrought aluminum alloy AA3105was welded by TIG welding method. During the operation, a heat sink of argon was mounted for immediate cooling of the welding line. Then, the specimens were simulated in the ANSYS software package by 3D finite element method considering the effect of the applied heat sink in order to reveal the impact of this method on the reduction of welding distortion. The comparison of empirical and simulation results show reasonable agreement. It is, finally, concluded that the use of trailing heat sink is effective in reducing distortion so that it can reduce welding-induced distortion by as high as about 40 percent and also increases the hardness in the heat affected zone by 10% to 12%.